{"id":998142,"date":"2021-11-11T10:28:43","date_gmt":"2021-11-11T15:28:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=998142"},"modified":"2021-11-11T10:28:47","modified_gmt":"2021-11-11T15:28:47","slug":"exclusive-indiana-attorney-general-issues-official-advisory-for-public-schools-black-lives-matter-unequivocally-a-political-organization","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/exclusive-indiana-attorney-general-issues-official-advisory-for-public-schools-black-lives-matter-unequivocally-a-political-organization\/","title":{"rendered":"Exclusive &#8212; Indiana Attorney General Issues Official Advisory for Public Schools: Black Lives Matter &#039;Unequivocally a Political Organization&#039;"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">36<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fexclusive-indiana-attorney-general-issues-official-advisory-for-public-schools-black-lives-matter-unequivocally-a-political-organization%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=998142&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p class=\"subheading\">Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita issued an official advisory opinion designating the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation as \u201cunequivocally a political organization.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In a <a href=\"https:\/\/content.govdelivery.com\/attachments\/INAG\/2021\/11\/10\/file_attachments\/1992758\/Official%20Opinion%202021-2.pdf\">letter exclusively obtained<\/a> by Breitbart News on Wednesday, Rokita wrote in response to a request from&nbsp;two state legislators \u2014 Sen. John Crane [R-Brownsburg] and Rep. Michelle Davis [R-Whiteland] \u2014 and specifically advised Indiana public schools on how Black Lives Matter [BLM] should be treated in educational settings. Rokita notably warned that, as a political organization, promoting or displaying materials related to the movement \u201ccould create a liability for schools and could violate the First Amendment.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"D-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"gmxrevmore\" class=\"H\"><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cSchool corporations should be cognizant that promoting or displaying some politically based materials while prohibiting the promotion or display of others could be seen as arbitrary and capricious and could also be violative of the First Amendment. School corporations need neutral, uniform policies that are applied in a consistent manner,\u201d Rokita wrote in part.<\/p>\n<h3>Rokita\u2019s Reasoning<\/h3>\n<p>The attorney general broke down how BLM has shifted from \u201cissue advocacy\u201d to blatant \u201cpolitical activity,\u201d a discrepancy which he argued invalidates previous advisement from the&nbsp;United States Office of Special Counsel [OSC] classifying the organization as advocacy-based rather than politically-based. \u201d Rokita pointed out that the OSC, which was strictly referring to whether federal employees via the <a href=\"https:\/\/osc.gov\/Services\/Pages\/HatchAct.aspx\">Hatch Act<\/a> could engage in BLM activities on site during working hours, said its guidance&nbsp;was based upon BLM activities \u201cat the time of writing.\u201d In its letter, the OSC acknowledged that if BLM\u2019s activities changed in the future, then OSC \u201cwould reevaluate the group.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSubsequent political activities of BLM have caused this analysis to shift, while supporting a conclusion that the original determination by OSC is outdated,\u201d Rokita wrote.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B2\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<div id=\"attachment_18702786\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" readability=\"36\"><a href=\"https:\/\/media.breitbart.com\/media\/2021\/11\/GettyImages-1329315638.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-18702786\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/GettyImages-1329315638-1024x683-1.jpg\" alt width=\"990\" height=\"660\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>A voting rights activist holds a sign that reads \u201cPass The For The People Act\u201d as he takes part in a \u201cGood Trouble Candlelight Vigil for Democracy\u201d at Black Lives Matter Plaza July 17, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Alex Wong\/Getty Images)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Rokita specifically cited the developing of the BLM political action committee [PAC] in October 2020, which while separate from the organization, was founded by a former executive director and co-founder of BLM, \u201cmaking it further difficult to argue the two are separate and distinct.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The BLM PAC engages in explicit political activity by promoting its inaugural list of political candidate endorsements and raising funds to \u201cactively engage\u201d in the 2020 election, according to the opinion. Its 2020 Impact Report reportedly notes the PAC\u2019s endorsement of several Democrat candidates, including references to voting for now Democrat President Joe Biden.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGiven the additional activities, post-July 14, 2020, that now put BLM squarely in the&nbsp;classification&nbsp;of a political organization, any reliance on the OSC guidance memo by schools (or the Indiana Department of Education (\u201cIDOE\u201d), to the extent it had relied on the memo in the past)&nbsp;is no longer valid,\u201d Rokita wrote. \u201d&nbsp;As a&nbsp;result, the OSC guidance should not be relied upon by school districts or the IDOE in any way.&nbsp;Regardless of the OSC memorandum, BLM\u2019s activities since July 2020 indicate its intent to&nbsp;become more politically oriented and the Indiana Office of the Attorney General considers it to be ma political organization.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rokita went on to explain how BLM\u2019s designation as a political organization has \u201d First Amendment implications\u201d for teacher-led and student-led speech an expression on school grounds and at school sponsored events.<\/p>\n<h3>Political Speech and Education<\/h3>\n<p>Concerning teacher-led speech and expression in schools, Rokita noted that \u201ccourts have held that educators are paid to teach the curriculum adopted by the school district, not substitute their own opinion or lessons, as children have no choice but to listen to the teacher\u2019s speech.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B3\" class=\"a8d adSo\"><\/figure>\n<p>He wrote in part:<\/p>\n<blockquote readability=\"24\">\n<p>The First Amendment protections do not permit teachers to \u201cpresent personal views to captive audiences against the instructions of elected officials\u201d and doing so runs the risk of indoctrination. Id. at 479, 480. As is evident, there is a strong public policy reason for circumscribing the First Amendment protections of teachers while they are in the educational setting.<\/p>\n<p>While most cases have involved actual speech, it follows that the same analysis would apply to the display or exhibition of other material as well. Students are \u201ccaptive audiences\u201d in the classroom regardless of whether the teacher is speaking, so whatever is displayed in the classrooms, hallways, or on cafeteria walls, the students are exposed to those messages. They are subject to the announcements over the loudspeakers, television screens, and tablets. Students are at the mercy of what the teacher displays in his or her classrooms or places in the lessons, so like \u201cspeech,\u201d political expression would also be circumscribed under this same rubric.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Rokita stated that teachers may speak about political matters as citizens for the purposes of public concern, which is protected speech, but may not speak on such matters \u201cin the course of his or her official duties\u201d as an educator.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"D-ROS-B2\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<p>Students have a little more leeway, per the landmark Supreme Court case,&nbsp;<em>Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District<\/em>, which defined the First Amendment rights of students in public schools. In the case, the school had banned students from wearing black armbands as a silent protest of the Vietnam War, yet had simultaneously allowed&nbsp; students in that same district to wear buttons relating to national political campaigns, and even the Iron Cross, a symbol of Nazism. The Court. \u201ctook issue that the policy prohibiting the wearing of armbands prohibited none of these items and only singled out the opposition to the Vietnam War,\u201d Rokita said.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_18228546\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" readability=\"37\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Protest-1.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-18228546\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Protest-1.jpeg\" alt width=\"640\" height=\"480\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>A Black Lives Matter activist argues in front Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell\u2019s vandalized home on January 2, 2021 in Louisville, Kentucky. Black Lives Matter demonstrators and right-wing DC Under Siege members gathered during the Won\u2019t Back Down Rally to protest Sen. McConnell\u2019s decision to block the most recent stimulus bill. (Jon Cherry\/Getty Images)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cThe crux of Tinker is not only can a school corporation not prohibit non-disruptive expression of political expression by students, it also cannot pick and choose what political speech it wants to promote and what speech it wants to suppress,\u201d he said, adding that student political expression is generally protected if it is not disruptive or does not interfere with school activities. He also added, per court precedent, that schools are allowed to regulate the content of school-sponsored literature and other \u201cexpressive activities, as long as the regulation is&nbsp;\u201creasonably related to legitimate pedagogical concerns.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sen. John Crane [R-Brownsburg] and Rep. Michelle Davis [R-Whiteland] praised Rokita for providing \u201cneeded clarity about the underpinnings of the BLM movement.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B4\" class=\"a8d adSo\"><\/figure>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\" readability=\"11.40490797546\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Black Lives Matter is now demanding payback for its support of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in the 2020 presidential election, stating that \u201cgetting Trump out of office was not the end all, be all,\u201d and that \u201cWe want something for our vote.\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Au1g4XjBXe\">https:\/\/t.co\/Au1g4XjBXe<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BreitbartNews\/status\/1326714216292757504?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 12, 2020<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\u201cI appreciate the Attorney General issuing this opinion regarding the Black Lives Matter movement,\u201d Sen. Crane said. \u201cAt a time when too much of a student\u2019s educational experience has been politicized, this opinion provides needed clarity about the underpinnings of the BLM movement, as well as reinforcing the importance of fair-minded presentations of all subject matter in our school classrooms. Our children in Indiana deserve a high-quality education that inspires their critical thinking in the pursuit of a society that truly dignifies all people.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEveryone should be treated equally and with respect,\u201d Rep. Davis concurred. \u201cHowever, the political activism and controversial ideology of this group is dividing communities rather than uniting them. While schools should provide a well-rounded education that includes differing views and perspectives, it\u2019s not their role to persuade students to believe in one ideology over another.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>Black Lives Matter and Indiana Schools<\/h3>\n<p>The Black Lives Matter movement was around several years before the 2020 George Floyd riots. The organization first rose to notoriety in the United States following&nbsp;the 2013 acquittal of George Zimmerman, the same year it was founded. The Internal Revenue Service [IRS] granted Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation&nbsp; 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization status in December of 2020 following an outpouring of support in the aftermath of the George Floyd\u2019s death. BLM&nbsp; will soon be required to file public 990 forms, \u201crevealing details of its organizational structure, employee compensation, programming and expenses,\u201d the <em>Associated Press<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/black-lives-matter-90-million-finances-8a80cad199f54c0c4b9e74283d27366f\">reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Notably, \u201c501(c)(3) organizations are absolutely prohibited from directly or indirectly participating in, or intervening in, any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for elective public office,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.irs.gov\/charities-non-profits\/charitable-organizations\/the-restriction-of-political-campaign-intervention-by-section-501c3-tax-exempt-organizations\">according<\/a> to the IRS.<\/p>\n<p>But besides its murky track record with donations, the organization and its founders have openly supported and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/politics\/2021\/07\/16\/rest-in-power-fidel-blms-history-of-praising-latin-american-communists\/\">praised dictators<\/a>, admitted to being <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/politics\/2020\/06\/22\/black-lives-matter-co-founder-in-2015-we-are-trained-marxists\/\">trained marxists<\/a>, a co-founder was&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/politics\/2020\/06\/24\/black-lives-matter-founder-mentored-by-ex-domestic-terrorist-who-worked-with-bill-ayers\/\">mentored<\/a> by an ex-domestic terrorist,&nbsp; and the group actively espouses the tenets of Critical Race Theory, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/news\/opponents-of-critical-race-theory-seek-to-flip-school-boards\/\">hot button issue<\/a> for voters going into the 2022 midterm elections.<\/p>\n<p>Regardless of the organization\u2019s background, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/2020-election\/2020\/09\/25\/kamala-harris-praises-brilliance-of-black-lives-matter-and-its-marxist-founders\/\">leftists<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/tech\/2020\/09\/01\/google-refuses-to-show-negative-search-suggestions-about-black-lives-matter\/\">Big Tech<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/economy\/2020\/06\/11\/corporate-donations-to-social-justice\/\">Corporate America<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/politics\/2021\/02\/04\/black-lives-matter-at-school-teaches-young-children-to-be-transgender-and-queer-affirming\/\">schools across the country<\/a>&nbsp;buckled to support BLM after the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/crime\/2021\/06\/25\/derek-chauvin-gets-22-1-2-years-in-prison-for-george-floyds-death\/\">killing of George Floyd<\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/politics\/2020\/09\/16\/nolte-blm-riots-are-officially-the-most-costly-manmade-damage-to-american-property-in-history\/\">costly and deadly<\/a> riots that ensued and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/law-and-order\/2020\/11\/03\/74-times-leftist-protesters-engaged-in-violence-destruction-or-intimidation-in-past-30-days\/\">destroyed<\/a> some of America\u2019s big cities. These actors simultaneously announced they were doubling down on efforts to address social justice and racism in what has often been referred to as a \u201cracial reckoning.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_16447112\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" readability=\"35\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/GettyImages-1216237394.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-16447112\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/GettyImages-1216237394.png\" alt=\"A man holds a Black Lives Matter sign as a police car burns during a protest on May 29, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia. Demonstrations are being held across the US after George Floyd died in police custody on May 25th in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Elijah Nouvelage\/Getty Images)\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>A man holds a Black Lives Matter sign as a police car burns during a protest on May 29, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Elijah Nouvelage\/Getty Images)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Indiana schools have been no different. On June 25, 2020, Indiana Public Schools, which is the largest school district in Indianapolis, issued a <a href=\"https:\/\/go.boarddocs.com\/in\/indps\/Board.nsf\/files\/BR4S7871421D\/$file\/Res.%20No.%207863%20-%20Black%20Lives%20Matter.pdf\">\u201cBlack Lives Matter\u201d resolution.<\/a>&nbsp;The resolution espouses core issues of Critical Race Theory, including \u201cwhite supremacy,\u201d \u201csystemic racism,\u201d \u201ccollective failure,\u201d \u201cracial equity,\u201d and other culturally marxist ideals. The resolution also guaranteed the passage of \u201cBoard Policy <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/the-media\/2021\/05\/24\/alex-marlow-cancel-the-new-york-times-1619-project-for-disinformation\/\">1619<\/a> \u2014 Racial equity mindset, commitment, and actions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Another high-profile incident occurred in Indiana\u2019s Hamilton Southeastern School District.&nbsp;Hamilton Southeastern Superintendent Allen Bourff, in a letter,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.indystar.com\/story\/news\/local\/hamilton-county\/education\/2021\/02\/09\/hamilton-southeastern-superintendent-teacher-black-lives-matter-politics\/4449507001\/\"> urged<\/a> educators to \u201cteach Black Lives Matters as a political issue, not a social one,\u201d the <em>Indy Star<\/em> reported. He later apologized after parents expressed outrage.<\/p>\n<p>Overall, the <a href=\"https:\/\/neaedjustice.org\/black-lives-matter-at-school\/\">National Education Association<\/a> [NEA] and the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.osba.org\/-\/media\/NSBA-DEI-Resources.pdf?la=en\">National School Boards Association<\/a>, two of the largest education unions in the country, both with chapters in Indiana, have repeatedly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/politics\/2021\/02\/04\/black-lives-matter-at-school-teaches-young-children-to-be-transgender-and-queer-affirming\/\">pushed<\/a> for teachers to be versed in Black Lives Matter and Critical Race Theory, and for it to influence the way they teach \u2014 meaning both are actively being promoted in public schools.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Katherine Hamilton is a political reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on&nbsp;<a class=\"x5l\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/katherineeeeee2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\">Twitter<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita issued an official advisory opinion designating the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation as \u201cunequivocally a political organization.\u201d In a letter exclusively obtained by Breitbart &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-998142","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/998142","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=998142"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/998142\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=998142"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=998142"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=998142"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}